baby, i know
by seemslikeaporno
Summary: Cat reaches the motorcycle before Sam does, swinging a leg over and dropping into the front seat. She grips the handlebars lightly and pretends she's driving it, making vroom-vroom noises under her breath. Or, Sam attempts to teach Cat how to drive a motorcycle. / SamCat friendship.


**baby, i know**

**notes**: i've watched the show i said i wouldn't and it was adorable soz

.

_and those bright blue eyes  
will only meet mine from across the room  
filled with people that are  
less important than you_

"love love love" by of monsters and men

.

"Sam?" Cat asks, wringing her hands together as she approaches, stopping short of the fold-out sofa instead of hopping on it and curling close to her roommate. She looks nervous, a bit like a deer caught in headlights, which is mildly concerning to Sam, who knows that if Cat is worried, she should probably be, too.

"Yeah?" Sam prompts, shifting her laptop away from her lap, balancing it precariously on one of her knees.

"I was just wondering," Cat starts, "what's it like to drive a motorcycle?"

Sam feels relief wash through her like a wave, but she still pushes her laptop completely off of her legs and sets it down beside her on her makeshift bed. She should really talk to Cat about clearing Nona's old room so Sam would have somewhere a little more private to sleep, but she's not about to push when she's only been here for a couple weeks.

"I dunno," Sam answers after a moment, shrugging. "It's kind of like riding a bike, I guess."

"A bike?" Cat repeats, dropping on the edge of the mattress and pulling her legs up. "It's just like that?"

"Well, not _just_ like that..." Sam starts, but she's quickly interrupted by Cat, who is now bouncing excitedly on the bedding.

"Do you think I could learn to drive one?" Cat asks. "Would you teach me? _Please_?"

"I - I don't know, Cat, I - "

"_Please_, Sam? I'll be your best friend! Ever!" Cat proclaims, shuffling closer to Sam on her hands and knees. She juts her lower lip out in a pathetic little pout. "_Pleeeease_?" She says again, drawing out the e.

"_Alright_," Sam laughs, throwing up her hands in mock-defeat. "I'll teach you how to ride a motorcycle!"

"Yay!" Cat cries, lunging forward and pulling Sam in for a hug. She pulls back almost abruptly, hopping off of the mattress. "Let's go!"

"Now?" Sam asks, smile turning bemused.

"Yes! Come on!" Cat says, bouncing on her heels.

"Okay, okay!" Sam relents, shaking her head fondly as she follows Cat outside, the LA air hot and dry.

Cat reaches the motorcycle before Sam does, swinging a leg over and dropping into the front seat. She grips the handlebars lightly and pretends she's driving it, making _vroom-vroom_ noises under her breath. Sam approaches swiftly, lying her hand over the top of Cat's to stop her from squeezing the clutch before everything else is ready.

"Sorry," Cat apologizes, giggling. "I'm just excited 'cause I've never driven one of these before!"

"Well, if you want me to teach you, you're going to have to stay focused," Sam says, nudging Cat's side with her elbow until the girl gets the hint and slides off of the bike. Sam replaces her quickly, getting comfortable and planting her feet firmly on either side of the motorcycle. "See how I'm sitting?" Sam asks, turning to Cat, who nods quickly, eyes darting over the position of Sam's body. "This is to make sure it doesn't off-balance you when you release the kickstand, which is this thing down here," Sam says, nodding towards the small, metal pole propping the bike up. "Kick it up, would ya?" Sam says, grinning at Cat.

Cat beams at her, giving the stand a good kick and releasing it from its hold. Sam steadies the motorcycle by keeping her feet firmly planted on the cement, but she lets go of the handlebar to motion for Cat to step closer.

"This is the ignition," Sam says, pointing to a silver circle with a keyhole in the middle of it. "That's, obviously, how you start the bike." Sam pauses, reaching into her jacket pocket to pull out the key. She jabs it into position and turns it, the vehicle coming to life with a low hum, lights flickering on.

"Oh," Cat says giddily. "Like a car."

"_Exactly_ like a car," Sam affirms with a nod. "Okay, next. The left hand - " she cuts herself off, reaching for Cat and pulling her to the other side of the bike. She stumbles, slightly, but catches herself with a giggle, and then crouches down to see what Sam is showing her. "These are the headlights," Sam says, motioning to the the switch, "and these are the blinkers, left and right."

"Okay," Cat says, smiling.

"You've also got the clutch here," Sam says, fitting her fingers over it and squeezing. "And then you've got the horn." She honks it and Cat steps back, squealing. "Sorry," Sam apologizes, although she isn't actually sorry.

"That's okay," Cat says, breathing a tentative laugh. "It just scared me."

"Over here," Sam says, barreling forward, "is the kill switch and the starter. The kill switch is this big, red button - "

"Ooh, pretty!"

"-and you only touch it when you need to shut off the bike quickly," Sam says seriously. "And the starter - well, starts the engine. Obviously."

"How is that obvious?" Cat asks, brows furrowed.

"...Anyways, this is the front brake," Sam continues, demonstrating squeezing it to brake the bike. "There's also a back brake, right here," Sam says, pointing to it with the toe of her boot. Cat has to shuffle back around the motorcycle to get a better. "And that's pretty much all the important parts," Sam says. "Now I'll teach you how to start and stop."

"Okay!" Cat agrees.

"Step back a second, okay?" Sam instructs, waiting for Cat to do so before continuing. "Before you start, there's this thing called Paddle Walking. You ease off the clutch, give it a little gas, and then you just..." Sam trails off, walking with the bike as it travels forward. Cat jumps, clapping, even as Sam slows to a stop. "It's pretty easy," Sam tells her.

"You look so cool!" Cat exclaims. Sam wonders if she's actually been listening to anything she's said. She decides not to harp on it.

"Did you get that?" Sam asks, laughing despite herself.

"Yeah, totally! Keep going!"

"Alright," Sam says, smile refusing to dissipate. "Okay, when you get the bike going, you have to put your feet up on the pegs, which are these things," Sam says, propping one foot on a peg and keeping the bike steady with the other on the ground.

"Vroom!" Cat squeals.

"Cat, you have to _listen_," Sam warns, but she's laughing.

"I'm listening!" Cat insists, face going completely serious. "I'm listening," she repeats, firmer.

"So once your feet are up on the pegs," Sam continues, somewhat warily, "you're able to speed up and just, you know. Go." Sam snorts at her own description. "Anyways, when you want to stop, you just press the clutch, then the front brake, and then lift you're foot up to the back brake - see?" Sam demonstrates the order to press these things and Cat nods seriously, clearly trying to prove that she's been listening the entire time.

"Clutch, front brake, back brake. Got it," she says, nodding once.

"Okay, watch me real quick," Sam says, beginning to paddle walk. She drives forward about fifteen feet and then stops, demonstrating exactly what she'd just told Cat. "Did you get that?" She calls, twisting to look at Cat, who is still in the same spot she was in before.

"Yeah, I got it!" Cat calls, beaming despite her earlier attempts at staying solemn. "Can I try?" She asks, eagerness apparent in her tone.

"Sure!" Sam responds, driving the motorcycle back, turning it off and kicking down the stand. She gets off the motorcycle and gestures for Cat to take her place, which the redhead does eagerly. "Okay. Just - try it out. See if you can remember what I taught you."

"Okay," Cat agrees, brows furrowing as she tries to remember. "Kickstand first, right?" She asks, looking to Sam for guidance.

"Yep. Make sure you're balanced," she warns, only to receive a crisp nod. Cat kicks the stand up and balances the bike between her legs. She takes a breath and then reaches for the key, turning it on.

"Was that right?" Cat asks.

"That was right," Sam confirms, somewhat proudly. "Make sure you're holding onto the clutch."

"Okay," Cat says, gripping the clutch tighter than before. "Okay, so then I..."

"Do you remember where everything is? Especially the brakes."

"Um," Cat says.

"Okay, just remember - left is shift, right is brake. So all the brakes are on the right side," Sam explains. Cat's eyes scan over the vehicle as she recalls her learnings.

"So...this is the front brake," Cat says, squeezing it as if to get a feel for it, "and the back brake is..." she trails off, finding it with her foot and yelping as she off-balances. Sam reaches out quickly to steady her, pressing her hand into Cat's shoulder. "Thanks," Cat says, smiling sweetly at Sam before refocusing. "Okay, so I...waddle walk now?"

"_Paddle_ walk," Sam corrects, chuckling. "Ease off the clutch first."

Cat nods, loosening her grip on the clutch and walking the bike forward in a bit of a waddle, much to Sam's amusement. "Then what?" She asks, waiting for Sam to catch up.

"Then once you pick up enough speed, you put your feet on the pegs and see if you can ride it for a few feet," Sam answers, excited to see Cat try. She seems to have picked everything up pretty naturally thus far. "Then you hit the clutch, front brake, and back brake in that order. Three steps." Sam watches Cat closely as she takes a breath and eases off the clutch a little more, picking up speed.

"I think I'm doing it!" Cat says, excitedly walking forward a little faster. She starts the engine and places her feet on the pegs and goes forward a few feet - before hitting the starter too hard and sliding off the back of the bike as it barrels forward and crashes to its side.

"Oh!" Cat cries, catching herself on her elbows.

"Whoa!" Sam calls, running forward and crouching down next to Cat. "Are you okay?"

"I'm a little woozy..." Cat responds dazedly, bringing a hand up to rub at her head. "Oh!" She says suddenly, belatedly. "Your bike!"

"Don't worry about it," Sam says, standing up and helping Cat to her feet. "You're not hurt are you?"

"Uh, I don't...I think I scraped my arm," Cat says, pouting as she tries to examine the skin around her elbow.

"Here, wait a sec," Sam says, running over to her bike and pulling it up, wincing at the sound of the exterior scratching against the pavement. She quickly walks it back over to its parking spot, locking the handles before pocketing her key. "Let's get you back up to the apartment, okay? We can put some Neosporin on that."

"And a Girly Cow bandaid?" Cat asks.

"_And_ a Girly Cow bandaid."


End file.
